Council wants P10T bonus

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City Council’s budget and finance committee yesterday recommended that instead of giving P7,000 Charter Day bonus to each official and employee, the amount should be raised to P10,000.

This is after City Accountant Diwa Cueva said the city can afford to spend about P50 million to support the Supplemental Budget No.1 for the Charter Day bonus of the employees and some other expenses.

Mayor Michael Rama had only recommended that each City Hall official and employee be given P7,000 and P2,000 for each city personnel who helped in cleaning the city immediately after the Sinulog Grand Parade.

Although the release of the cash benefits will be delayed because of the non-approval of the Supplemental Budget, the City Hall employees were all smiling after the budget hearing.

“Dili na lang mi masuko kay madugangan man ang among makobra,” an employee of the Office of the Mayor said. (The delay is no reason to get angry, as long as we get a bigger amount.)

Councilor Noel Eleuterio Wenceslao, vice chairman of the City Council’s committee on budget and finance who presided over the budget hearing yesterday, said they will try their best to discuss the matter in their session next week.

He explained that there is a need to amend the proposed ordinance for the approval of the Supplemental Budget No. 1 to increase the employees’ bonus.In last year’s Charter Day celebration, the city also granted P10,000.

Mayor Rama, in response to the recent development, said “Pildi ta. Hibaw-an pa nako nga ilang pun-an, gi-10 (thousand) na nako. Mao lagi na kay duha na man kabook executive diri karon.” (We lost. If only I had known that they would add to the amount, I would have proposed P10,000 each. It seems that there are now two executive departments at the City Hall.)

He added, “Nganung ako man ang mu-submit nga maayo man kaayo sila muusab?” Rama retorted in referring to making another budget proposal. (Why should I submit anything again when they have the habit of changing it?)

With Councilor Jun Pe hinting during the session that because the promised P20,000 bonus last year was only given in half so the city owes (utangan) the workers, the mayor reiterated that the city must not go beyond the mandated personnel services PS capacity.  (FREEMAN)